Reader Rayna

Month: February 2016

  • Beautiful People: Valentine’s Edition

    Hey peeps! I found this cool new meme and since I’m a writer, I wanted to join in! It’s hosted by Cait @ Paper Fury and Sky @ Further Up & Further In. If you want to know more about Beautiful People, you can check out the FAQs page here.

    beautifulpeople

    So this month’s topic is about ships. You know exactly what I’m talking about: the relationships that form in your own writing. (Yes, writers ship their own characters, in case you were wondering.)

    So for this one I decided to go with two of my lovelies, Maddock and Abby, who are from a fantasy I’m writing and they’re just two of my favorites (of course). I’ve never really talked about them, but here’s a little bit to know about them before I jump into the questions:

    • Maddock is part of the royal guard, but having only been enlisted for a few years, he’s not high up in the ranks. He’s got a keen eye for detail and is fiercely loyal to his comrades. He’s also kind of the gentleman (mama raised him right). He’s twenty-two years old and ready to take on the world. He can be quick to react sometimes, but he has the best intentions.
    • Abigail, or Abby for short, is a maid in the palace and has been working there since she was a little girl. She was born there and so she grew up in servitude. Her father left to find a better life for them when she was little, but never returned, and her mother died of cancer when she was fifteen. She may seem quiet on the surface, but she’s not afraid to speak her mind when it’s called for. She does have a few secrets, though, that she doesn’t want others to know.

    And that’s all I want to give you because I have to rewrite my first draft (which isn’t even finished yet) and fix a bunch of things because they developed so much as the story progressed. BUT, one thing is for certain: I ship them so hard.

    So, here are the questions for this month’s Beautiful People:

    1. How did they first meet? They first met in the palace when Maddock and a few members of his squadron were on their way to a meeting and Abby crashed – literally – right into Maddock.
    2. What were their first impressions of each other? Instant attraction, but not insta-love. Maddock is about a head and a half taller than Abby, so Abby thought he was a mountain and Maddock thought she was cute with the freckles across her nose and cheeks.
    3. How long have they been a couple? I think for about half the story so far? Maybe less than that. They kind of go through a lot of rough things together on the journey that they take to find a killer, so that created a bond between them. Their feelings developed over time, but they haven’t really been a “couple,” per se.
    4. How committed/loyal are they to each other? Would they break up over a secret or a disagreement? Could stress drive them apart? Would they die for each other? They wouldn’t break up over a secret or stress or anything. I wouldn’t ever do that to my babehs. I don’t know that they’re at the “dying for each other” stage just yet where they’re at in the story, but… hell, who am I kidding, of course they would! They fight alongside one another on multiple occasions and I just love how they mesh together.
    5. List 5 “food quirks” they know about each other. (Ex: how they take their coffee, if they’re allergic to something, etc….and feel free to mention other non-food quirks!) Hmm.. I honestly don’t think they do know! At least, not said in writing. Behind the scenes: Maddock knows Abby isn’t a fan of seafood and that she loves to have her bread buttered with some basil on it. Abby knows Maddock eats fast – wicked fast – because he always has to be ready at a moment’s notice so there’s not really any time for him to enjoy his meals. As for non-food quirks? Abby fiddles with her fingers when she’s nervous and Maddock hums when he’s relaxed.
    6. Does anyone disapprove of their relationship? None thus far.
    7. What would be an ideal date? A picnic on the hillsides near the palace – they’re some of the most maintained and beautiful with fields of flowers covering large spaces.
    8. What are their personality dynamics? Similar? Contrasting? Do they fight a lot or mesh perfectly? They actually mesh pretty well, which surprised even me. Where I thought Maddock would be kind of stoic, he’s actually just a very focused individual. Abby is a hard worker and strives to do the best she can in any situation, so they balance each other nicely like that. They’re actually pretty similar, now that I think about it, but not in a way that you can’t tell who’s who.
    9. What have been their best and worst moments together as a couple? Best: Their first kiss, dancing, first flirtations. Worst: Almost getting killed, Abby getting kidnapped.
    10. Where do they see themselves and their relationship in the next few years? In the next few years, they see themselves living in a nice place near the mountains. They’d have everything they could desire at this point, and possibly a child on the way.

    And there you go! Writing about them makes me want to get back into writing the story and progressing the plot… or just start the revisions now, SOMEBODY HELP.

    Anyway, there’s a little insight into two of my characters and their relationship together.

    If you’re a writer, how hard do you ship your characters? Are they more of a tragic romance, or ones that will last forever? I want to feel the feels, so let me know!

  • Top Ten Tuesday: Songs I Wish Were Books

    Hey peeps and welcome to another Top Ten Tuesday as hosted by the lovely people of The Broke & the Bookish. Today’s topic is all about music, and so I wanted to talk about songs that I wish were books. I’ve actually never really thought about this until now, but I think this is pretty cool, so here are my selections!

    1. Enchanted by Taylor Swift – Honestly, who wouldn’t want this one to be made into a book? A girl who’s just trying to get by in her day sees a guy (or girl) across the way, their eyes meet, and then it’s fate. I mean, it’s been done before and everything, but that still doesn’t make it any less adorable. I needs it.
    2. Halo by Beyonce – I think that this one could make a really good angel story because, well, it’s about someone who is so good inside and out, and the lyrics even say, “Standing in the light of your halo / I got my angel now,” so why not have it be about angels?
    3. Where Are U Now by Skrillex & Diplo with Justin Bieber – I think this would be a good book about maybe siblings that had a falling out and maybe one goes missing or something and the other has to find them and try to make amends. I can see it being either a thriller or a contemporary kind of book, really.
    4. If I Die Young by The Band Perry – This would be a pretty melancholy book, but I would want to know why this girl died and how her family copes with it. I think it could start with her funeral and then backtrack through her life and her accomplishments and shortcomings. That would be interesting, really.
    5. Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen – You know you want this song turned into a book. It would be a cute YA contemporary about a girl pining over a boy and how she really wants his number and to date him and stuff. Classic.
    6. Vanilla Twilight by Owl City – This one would be a cute one that I think could take place in the future and that it would be about a couple who are separated over a great distance and they both look up at the sky and just think of one another, reminiscing over the time they had together. Ahhhh, so cute. I can’t even. Well, it’s cute in my mind anyway, haha!
    7. Shatter Me by Lindsey Stirling ft Lzzy Hale – I think that this one would be a good one about overcoming obstacles in your life, or trying to escape the life you might be leading and change it for the better. This one can be a powerful one. Maybe throw in some steampunk elements if you feel so inclined, but yeah.
    8. Bright by Echosmith – This would just be a cutesy romance about a guy and girl falling in love. If you want to spin on it, since the lyrics talk about Neptune and the stars, make it a sci-fi and about him sprinkling stardust on her pillowcase, as the lyrics go.
    9. Sofi Needs a Ladder by Deadmau5 – I think this could be a good rebellion song, like a bunch of teens or something going up against some kind of enemy. Or maybe just one person taking on the world, and by world, I mean their own enemies. This just sounds like a cool soundtrack that could be listened to with a variety of different scenarios. I can just imagine a very sarcastic, witty protagonist with this song.
    10. Closer by Ne-Yo – This would be New Adult to Adult in age, for sure. This is a more sultry song and so I can totally picture the sexy times for this one.

    There you have it! This was actually harder than I thought because I was stuck on what songs to put for the longest time.

    What songs would you want to be turned into books? What kind of plots could you see forming with them? Let me know!

  • Separating an Author from Their Work

    So I wanted to talk about this topic after some recent events with a certain famous author and allegations against her. When I first read about it, I was in shock. I had never heard of any past allegations or anything before, and so I had written my initial reaction in a post similar to this one, but decided to wait and sit on the topic before I actually talked about it.

    I wholly believe in separating an author from their work when possible. Sometimes, yes, it’s hard not to because of personal experiences or just your overall emotions about the work the author has put out and it affecting the way you think about that author, but by separating the work from the author you’re able to either enjoy or hate a piece of work without thinking of the bias behind them.

    But once you know that bias then maybe it becomes more difficult to be able to read their work. I found that, once I read about what was going on with that author and prior allegations, I was stuck in a limbo: do I continue to read her books, or do I stop all together? For me, it’s a be all, end all kind of decision. But I didn’t want to overreact, so here I am now.

    When you separate a piece of work from its creator you are judging that work rather than the person behind it. That’s what I try to do: I focus on plot, setting, characters, progression, if the writing was simplistic or not, etc. I rarely, if ever, think about the author and their past works (if any) or how they were the one to write it.

    I’m pretty sure I can count on one hand times in which I thought, “This is written by this author – I must read it!” Or, “This is written by this author – I just can’t.” I find that when I do this then I am already forming a bias for myself in my mind and then I don’t branch out to discover new and exciting works from other authors as a result.

    I know that there have been other authors with a bad rep because of their own life decisions, or because of other reasons, and then that in turn affects who reads their work and everything, and of course I think you should be in the know about it and not be blind to it (kind of like I am, hnnng), but I also think that keeping an open mind and judging the work before the writer is an important part of this whole thing.

    I do acknowledge, though, that sometimes this is a very difficult concept and that for some people it is near impossible to do, that whatever the author may have done affects how you read – or don’t read – their work. And I’m not saying you have to abide by this yourself and do what I do; I’m just putting this out there as a method that I try to utilize when I read.

    When I first wrote about this topic I had a few major questions on my mind:

    • Can I continue reading the series knowing what I know?
    • Will I still enjoy it for what it is or will I subconsciously look for other things in it?
    • Will I receive backlash for liking or not liking a certain story or series?
    • Do I want to continue reading and support the author – or buy the next books the author may or may not put out?

    And I think these are all very valid questions, and ones that only I can answer since I am the one asking them. And you may be asking yourself similar questions and really, only you can answer them.

    Just remember that all of this is totally up to you and is your decision. If an author affects you because of something they did, previously or currently, and you decide to stop reading their work – or continue – then don’t feel ashamed for it. If you’re able to separate the author from their work, though, then I hope your reading experience isn’t too affected by it.

    What are your thoughts on this topic? Are you able to separate an author from their work or are any rumors/facts/allegations about them ones in which you just can’t bring yourself to read work from them? Do you feel stuck in a bind? Do you have similar questions you have to answer for yourself? Let me know!

  • Morrighan Novella Review

    morrighanTitle: Morrighan
    Series: #0.5 in The Remnant Chronicles
    Author: Mary E. Pearson
    Publisher: Henry Holt & Co.
    Publication Date: January 12, 2016
    Genre: Young Adult – Fantasy, Romance
    Pages: 86
    Format: Purchased eBook

    Before borders were drawn, before treaties were signed, before wars were waged anew, before the great kingdoms of the Remnant were even born and the world of old was only a hazy slate of memory told in story and legend, a girl and her family fought to survive.

    And that girl’s name was Morrighan.

    In this prequel novella to the Remnant Chronicles, a girl and a boy from enemy camps meet, fall in love–and set history in motion.

    This novella was a tale about Morrighan, the one that came long before the tale of Lia, Rafe, and Kaden. It told the story of her growing up, falling in love, and knowing just where she stands in the world.

    I thought that this novella was well put together and it enhanced the story. I do recommend that you read the novels before reading this because you pick up clues as to where they are, who some of the people are, and what happened to lead to where the characters from the trilogy are.

    I loved the romance in this novella. It was beautiful and loving, but not without hurt or tragedy or struggle. I loved how both were young but understood what it meant to love and be loved and how they could love with all of their hearts and souls for the other.

    I thought that the plot enhanced the story in that it told of not just their love, but also the struggles of Morrighan’s tribe and Jafir’s clan, of how one hunted and the other gathered, of how there almost was a war between the two without the battles of bloodshed. It was one in which I thought drove the characters in the directions that they needed to go; the plot lead itself. I could pick up on clues on what happened in the main trilogy from long ago, which was fun and exciting.

    Morrighan reminded me of Lia in that she holds so much hidden potential and intelligence, trusting in herself and her gift to lead her to where she needs to be. She was strong when she needed to be and weak when she knew there was no other choice.

    Jafir reminded me of Kaden not only for the place where he is from, but also because of the ruggedness of his life, his wild behavior. But he also had his own strengths and weaknesses, and I think many of both were ones that involved his emotions and his heart.

    My only critiques of the novella were that there were several grammatical and spelling errors throughout, but not enough to really deter from the story, and that I wished that the last chapter had been expanded. Honestly, I just want more of Morrighan and Jafir and their lives together.

    Overall, I loved this novella and think that if you’re a fan of the Remnant Chronicles that you should definitely give this a go. It was fantastic and I personally think that it added to the lore of the story.

    I rate this novella 4/5 stars.

  • 25 Bookish Facts About Me

    Hey peeps! So I got this idea from Bookables over on YouTube where she talked about twenty-five bookish facts about her and I found them to be really fun, so I thought that I’d do my own version of this! So here are twenty-five bookish facts about me:

    1. I didn’t start reading the Harry Potter series until I turned 20. I know, I’m late to the party.
    2. I really don’t like reading classics, but I’ll give certain authors a try, like Jane Austen. Honestly, that’s it. Sorry classics lovers.
    3. I’ve only ever been to one book signing and that was for when Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer came out – and I hated it. I was the second to last one in line to get a band to get my books signed, and my two friends got one before they moved the line outside. It was seriously a miserable day, but I still got the first three books signed thanks to my friend.
    4. I’d totally be going to BEA or BookCon this year, but unfortunately May is a block out month for me at my work this year, so no one’s allowed to take time off. So sad.
    5. I love bookmarks. Like I have a serious problem and buy more bookmarks than I’ll ever need, but some of them are just so CUTE. I can’t help it.
    6. I’ve always been a reader, but I got wicked into reading when manga was introduced to me in 6th grade. I read series like Tokyo Mew Mew, Fushigi Yuugi, Fruits Basket, Hot Gimmick, and more. It’s also the time I became obsessed with anime and Japanese culture, as one does.
    7. Over the last year and a half since starting my blog/Booktube, I’ve accumulated well over 200 books – physical, ebook, and audiobook.
    8. I got my first tattoo at the end of December last year that is a quote about books and how much I love them (it’s on my right shoulder blade area): IMG_2483
    9. I’m able to read multiple books at one time and keep track of what plot belongs to what book, characters, setting, etc.
    10. When I get into a slump, I get into one HARD and it’s really hard for me to pull myself back out unless I read an amazingly awesome book.
    11. RE: slumps: The last book to pull me out of my really bad slump last year was The Raven Boys by Maggie Steifvater. Love that book and series!
    12. My favorite genre is fantasy – both adult and YA.
    13. My least favorite is non-fiction. Unless there’s something to draw me in, I don’t really have an interest in non-fiction books.
    14. I’ve never read a horror book before, or a mystery book… Actually, does Children of the Corn count? That was creepy AF.
    15. I remember borrowing a book in second grade from my teacher and I never gave it back. Whoops.
    16. The first comic book series I’ve read is Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and illustrated by Fiona Staples. And it’s AMAZING.
    17. I love bags. Like, you know how lots of girls love shoes? Yeah, I’m a bag lady. Some of my favorite purses or totes that I’ve gotten were from Barnes & Noble.
    18. I’ve gone into Barnes & Noble so much that at one point an employee recognized me every time and would greet me and talk to me and stuff. It was really nice before she left!
    19. I’ve got to say it: as much as I know The Lord of the Rings is a classic (literally and figuratively), I’m not really interested in reading it just from knowing JRR Tolkien’s style of writing. I’ve read the first four chapter of the first book and it took that long to get the journey started. It was long winded and just not my taste. *ducks and covers from TLotR/JRR Tolkien fans*
    20. I started Booktube before starting my blog – I think it was almost a week difference.
    21. I want to someday have a library of books. But, of course, what book lover doesn’t? And by library, I mean like five bookcases or more just full of books. My husband said he’d build me one when we have our own house and I’m holding him to it.
    22. The first audiobook I listened to was The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson and it sparked my love for the trilogy – so amazing! The narrators did really well with the characters and pronunciations and it was just awesome.
    23. I have library cards to three libraries from each town I’ve lived in and I’ve made bare minimum appearances there… Like, I’ve been to two of the three once and the other a small handful of times. It’s not that I don’t like libraries, I just like owning my books so I don’t have to worry about returning them on time.
    24. I’ve buddy read with my husband before, but he reads at such a faster pace than me that we kind of gave up.
    25. I hate DNFing books. I’ve done it twice, but I think I’m going to pick them up again to give them another try.

    There you have it! Twenty-five bookish facts about me. I felt like there should have been more, but I really struggled to come up with twenty-five.

    Tell me a few bookish facts about you! I’d love to hear it.

    Accompanying video: 25 Bookish Facts About Me